ScienceDaily: All - May 07, 2024
Today's top research news
Geologists, biologists unearth the atomic fingerprints of cancer
Earth scientists have long turned to minute differences in hydrogen atoms to explore the ancient history of our planet. A new study suggests that these same tiny atoms might also lead to new ways to track the growth of cancer.
Image: Alexander_P/Shutterstock.com
Venus has almost no water: A new study may reveal why
Billions of years ago, Venus may have harbored as much water as Earth. Today, almost all of it has disappeared. A new study may help to explain why.
DDT pollutants found in deep sea fish off Los Angeles coast
As the region reckons with its toxic history of offshore dumping off the California coast, new findings raise troubling questions about whether the banned pesticide remains a threat to wildlife and human health.
Turbid waters keep the coast healthy
To preserve the important intertidal areas and salt marshes off our coasts for the future, we need more turbid water. That is one of the striking conclusions from a new study.
Past and guides future efforts to reduce cancer disparities
The toll cancer takes on lives in the U.S. has declined during the last 28 years, but not equitably. Disparities persist in many historically marginalized communities -- including communities disadvantaged by race, socioeconomic status, orientation or gender identity, and geographic location -- despite community outreach and engagement programs designed to address them.
By using experimental electrochemical analyses, mass spectrometry, and computational quantum chemistry modeling, the researchers created an 'atomic-scale storyline' to explain how ozone is generated on NATO electrocatalysts. They identified that some of the nickel in NATO is probably leaching out of the electrodes via corrosion, and these nickel atoms, now floating in the solution near the catalyst, can promote chemical reactions that eventually generate ozone.
Simulated chemistry: New AI platform designs tomorrow's cancer drugs
Researchers have developed a new AI tool to that generate new drug candidates for cancer, which could help streamline the typically laborious drug discovery process.
Expanding a lymph node, boosting a vaccine
Researchers have found a way to enhance and extend LN expansion, and study how this phenomenon affects both the immune system and efficacy of vaccinations against tumors. While the oversized LNs maintained a normal tissue organization, they displayed altered mechanical features and hosted higher numbers of various immune cell types that commonly are involved in immune responses against pathogens and cancers. Importantly, 'jump-starting' lymph node expansion prior to administering a traditional vaccine against a melanoma-specific model antigen led to more effective and sustained anti-tumor responses in mice.
Experiment opens door for millions of qubits on one chip
Researchers have achieved the first controllable interaction between two hole spin qubits in a conventional silicon transistor. The breakthrough opens up the possibility of integrating millions of these qubits on a single chip using mature manufacturing processes.
Self-critical perfectionism gnaws on students' well-being already in lower secondary school
A new study among ninth-graders attending lower secondary school in Swedish-speaking areas of Finland identified four perfectionistic profiles with varying associations with students' psychological well-being.
Contract treatment reduces recidivism and substance-related adverse health events
Substance use disorder treatment in the community is a superior alternative to incarceration for offenders with a substance misuse background, according to a recent study evaluating the effectiveness of the contract treatment sanction in Sweden.
VR may pose privacy risks for kids: A new study finds parents aren't as worried as they should be
New research finds that, while an increasing number of minors are using virtual reality (VR) apps, not many parents recognize the extent of the security and privacy risks that are specific to VR technologies. The study also found that few parents are taking active steps to address those security and privacy issues, such as using parental controls built into the apps.
Participants of pioneering CRISPR gene editing trial see vision improve
About 79% of clinical trial participants experienced measurable improvement after receiving experimental, CRISPR-based gene editing that is designed to fix a rare form of blindness, according to a new article.
Astronomers observe elusive stellar light surrounding ancient quasars
Astronomers observed the elusive starlight surrounding some of the earliest quasars in the universe. The findings may shed light on how the earliest supermassive black holes became so massive despite having a relatively short amount of cosmic time in which to grow.
AI to make crop production more sustainable
Drones monitoring fields for weeds and robots targeting and treating crop diseases may sound like science fiction but is actually happening already, at least on some experimental farms. Researchers are working on driving forward the smart digitalization of agriculture and have now published a list of the research questions that will need to be tackled as a priority in the future.
Lake tsunamis pose significant threat under warming climate
The names might not be familiar -- Cowee Creek, Brabazon Range, Upper Pederson Lagoon -- but they mark the sites of recent lake tsunamis, a phenomenon that is increasingly common in Alaska, British Columbia and other regions with mountain glaciers. Triggered by landslides into small bodies of water, most of these tsunamis have occurred in remote locations so far, but geologists say it may just be a matter of time before a tsunami swamps a more populated place.
Hubble views a galaxy with a voracious black hole
Bright, starry spiral arms surround an active galactic center in a new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the galaxy NGC 4951. Located in the Virgo constellation, NGC 4951 is located roughly 50 million light-years away from Earth. It's classified as a Seyfert galaxy, which means that it's an extremely energetic type of galaxy with an active galactic nucleus (AGN).
New discoveries about Jupiter's magnetosphere
New discoveries about Jupiter could lead to a better understanding of Earth's own space environment and influence a long-running scientific debate about the solar system's largest planet.
New study reveals age-related brain changes influence recovery after stroke
A new study has revealed that areas of age-related damage in the brain relate to motor outcomes after a stroke -- a phenomenon that may be under-recognized in stroke research. The new observational study looked at the relationship between stroke recovery and white matter hyper-intensities (WMHs) -- areas of age-related damage in the brain's white matter, which represent vascular dysfunction and are known to impact cognitive functions.
A better way to ride a motorcycle
Motorcycles are designed to accommodate the average-sized rider, leaving taller and shorter riders vulnerable to discomfort.
Biomechanical dataset for badminton performance analysis
In the sports industry, player data collection aids in personalized training feedback. Researchers have now gathered a detailed dataset and laid the foundation for delivering coaching assistance and feedback through the same. Utilizing wearable sensors and machine learning, their dataset offers real-time feedback and optimized movement suggestions. With over 7,763 badminton swings analyzed, stroke quality assessment offers valuable insights, making badminton training more accessible and affordable.